This invention discloses a wiring harness, a method of manufacturing said wiring harness, and a lamp assembly which utilizes said wiring harness. The wiring harness is comprised of a plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires which extend through a modular connector plug. The modular connector plug is comprised of a molded wire matrix and a mounting plug. To manufacture the wiring harness, a molded wire matrix is overmolded onto a plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires and then a mounting plug is overmolded onto the wire matrix.
|
1. A wiring harness bulkhead plug comprising a plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires, wherein said plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires extend through a modular plug wherein the modular plug is comprised of a molded wire matrix and a mounting plug, wherein the molded wire matrix is overmolded onto the insulated conductive electrical wires, wherein the mounting plug is overmolded onto the molded wire matrix, wherein the plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires pass continuously through the mounting plug via the molded wire matrix, wherein the modular plug is adapted for permanent attachment to the bulkhead of an article of manufacture, wherein the insulated conductive electrical wires extend through the modular plug from a first side to a second side of the bulkhead, and wherein the mounting plug further includes a latch mechanism for permanently affixing the mounting plug to the bulkhead of the article of manufacture.
15. A method for manufacturing a wiring harness bulkhead plug having a modular plug therein, comprising overmolding a molded wire matrix onto a plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires to produce a molded wire matrix and overmolding a mounting plug over the molded wire matrix to produce the wiring harness bulkhead plug, wherein the molded wire matrix is overmolded onto the insulated conductive electrical wires, wherein the mounting plug is overmolded onto the molded wire matrix, and wherein the plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires pass through the mounting plug via the molded wire matrix, wherein the modular plug is adapted for permanent attachment to the bulkhead of an article of manufacture, wherein the insulated conductive electrical wires extend continuously through the modular plug from a first side to a second side of the bulkhead, and wherein the mounting plug further includes a latch mechanism for permanently affixing the mounting plug to the bulkhead of the article of manufacture.
2. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
3. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
4. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
5. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
6. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
7. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
8. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
9. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
10. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
11. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
12. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
13. A lamp assembly which is comprised of a housing, a lens, and a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the housing includes a wire access orifice through which the plurality of wires in the wiring harness bulkhead plug specified in
14. The lamp assembly as specified in
16. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
17. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
18. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
19. The wiring harness bulkhead plug as specified in
|
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/236,253 filed on Oct. 2, 2015. The teachings of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/236,253 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Wiring harnesses are commonly used in automobiles, aircraft, spacecraft, watercraft, industrial equipment, alarm systems, sound systems, computer systems, and various types of machinery or electronics which require conductive wire. Wiring harnesses function to bind wires together in an organized manner and protect them against dirt, moisture, and the adverse effects of vibration and abrasion. Wiring harnesses can be configured to provide one connection point for multiple wiring configurations.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,147,508 describes a wire holding device with a seal holding member having an insertion hole into which an electric wire is inserted into an opening. The seal holding member being configured to be housed in an attachment hole formed on an attachment target, an outer periphery sealing member for sealing a gap between an inner surface of the attachment target inside the attachment hole and the seal holding member, an inner periphery sealing member for sealing a gap between the electric wire and the seal holding member, and a wire holder aligned with the seal holding member along the electric wire. The seal holding member and the wire holder are relatively movable in a circumferential direction to the electric wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,120,435 describes a wire harness holder for securing a wire harness to a panel. The wire harness holder includes a body including a fastening portion to fasten the body to the panel, a channel to receive the wire harness therein. The channel extends in a serpentine configuration so as to form a drip loop portion therein and is defined by a pair of opposed side walls connected by a bottom wall. The body further includes means for facilitating retention of the wire harness within the body. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 9,136,048 discloses a wire harness protector having a trunk wire insertion portion and a branch wire insertion portion that projects from a peripheral edge of a branch wire outlet provided to one or two side walls in a center length direction of the trunk wire insertion portion.
Wiring harnesses of the prior art are susceptible to becoming dislodged from their housing areas as a result of vibration or temperature changes. When wiring harnesses become dislodged, or if wiring harnesses sit loosely in their housing areas, the wires are prone to chafing which can ultimately lead to short circuits and even to wire breakage which creates an open circuit. As a result of chafing over time, the wires can become damaged and cause damage to any attached or nearby electrical devices. Prior art wiring harnesses are also costly to manufacture because multiple wiring harness molds are required to accommodate various wire arrangements and wire sizes.
The conventional procedures used in manufacturing connector plugs through which multiple wires pass are limited to geometric configurations which will allow for them to be manufactured by overmolding. More specifically, all of the wires passing through such conventional connector plugs must be aligned in the relatively straight row to allow for removal from the mold. This necessitates that the connector plug must be long enough in a given direction to allow for all of the wires to be aligned in that direction. This can put undesired limitations on the geometry of conventional connector plugs. This can be problematic in current applications in which it is necessary for dozens of wires to pass through a connector plug in a wiring harness. Accordingly, there is a need for a wiring harness having a connector plug therein which offers increased flexibility, higher reliability, better durability, and which can be manufactured in a more cost effective manner.
This invention is directed to a wiring harness, and a cost effective means of manufacturing said wiring harness with greatly improved flexibility in the manufacturing process. The wiring harness of this invention is of particular utility in applications where there is a need to pass a plurality of electrically conductive wires through a wall or solid structure in an article of manufacture. The wiring harness of this invention functions to protect the electrical wires therein from damage that can occur over time as a function of vibration, expansion and contraction that results from variations in temperature, product misuse, and a wide variety of other factors. The wiring harnesses of this invention also allow for more flexibility in the geometric design of the connector plugs therein. Such wiring harnesses can also typically be designed to include connector plugs which are smaller in size. Accordingly, the wiring harnesses of this invention can be used in manufacturing a wide variety of consumer and industrial products, such as automotive parts, aircraft parts, boat parts, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, computers, printers, modems, routers, telecommunications equipment, television sets, radios, architectural lamps, sign displays, vacuum cleaners, heating and cooling equipment, food processing equipment, and an almost endless variety of other electrical products. For instance, the wiring harness of this invention is of particular value for use in manufacturing modern automotive lamp assemblies which can include dozens of light emitting diodes (LEDs) which can be designed to operate independently and accordingly need to be wired separately.
The wiring harness of this invention can be used to environmentally seal and protect the inside of a housing area from moisture, dirt, dust, and other debris. The wiring harness can be permanently sealed to a housing or can be reversibly affixed thereto. In one embodiment of this invention a connector plug in the wiring harness snaps into the wall of the housing in a manner which permanently affixes it thereto. The connector plug can optionally also be further affixed to a housing area with a double sided adhesive. In another embodiment of this invention the wiring harness includes a connector plug having a screw connector which can be used to attach the wiring harness to the housing with the capability of removing it later if so desired.
This invention more specifically discloses a wiring harness comprising a plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires, wherein said plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires extend through a modular connector plug wherein the modular connector plug is comprised of a molded wire matrix and a mounting plug.
This invention further reveals a lamp assembly which is comprised of a housing, a lens, and a plurality of lights, wherein the housing includes a wire access orifice through which a plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires in a wiring harness pass, wherein the wiring harness is comprised of the plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires, wherein said plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires extend through a modular connector plug, wherein the modular connector plug is comprised of a molded wire matrix and a mounting plug, and wherein the wire access orifice is adapted to receiving the modular connector plug of the wiring harness.
This invention also discloses a method for manufacturing a wiring harness having a modular connector plug therein, comprising overmolding a molded wire matrix onto a plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires to produce a molded wire matrix and overmolding a mounting plug over the molded wire matrix to produce the wiring harness.
The subject invention further reveals a fiber optics cable harness comprising a plurality of fiber optic cables, wherein said plurality of fiber optic cables extend through a modular connector plug wherein the modular connector plug is comprised of a molded wire matrix and a mounting plug.
The plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires 1 extend through a modular connector plug 4 as shown in
The plurality of wires 1 in the molded wire matrix 3 are arranged in a matrix array as illustrated in
The wiring harness 13 of this invention is manufactured by overmolding. Overmolding is an efficient injection molding process whereby one material is molded over a secondary material; the two materials are then cost effectively and rapidly bonded together without using primers or adhesives. In this invention the molded wire matrix 3 is overmolded onto the plurality of insulated conductive electrical wires 1 as is best illustrated in
In one embodiment of this invention illustrated in
The wire harness of this invention can be used in a wide array of applications wherein it is necessary for the wiring harness to extend through the wall or a bulkhead of an article of manufacture. For instance, the wiring harnesses of this invention can be utilized in automotive applications such as in automobiles, trucks and trailers, recreational vehicles, and the like. They can also be used in agricultural equipment, mining equipment, construction equipment, all terrain vehicles, aircraft, marine applications and the like. The wiring harness of this invention can also prove to be beneficial in manufacturing a wide variety of consumer and industrial applications such as vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, freezers, computer equipment, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning, and industrial robotics such as autonomous vehicular transport robots (BOTS) and pick-and-place equipment. The wiring harnesses of this invention can also be beneficial when utilized in a wide variety of small appliances such as blenders, coffee makers, mixers, toasters and the like. The wiring harnesses of this invention can also be used in toys such as remote control cars and boats. The wiring harnesses of this invention can also be used in windmills, drones, streetlights, outdoor signage, and the like.
While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the subject invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the subject invention.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
11165205, | Apr 19 2019 | DANA TM4 INC. | Multi-phase connector for electric powertrain system |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
4705339, | Jun 19 1986 | AMP Incorporated | Sealed plug for a printed circuit board receptacle |
5053583, | Jan 18 1989 | AMP Incorporated | Bundled hybrid ribbon electrical cable |
5110224, | Nov 15 1989 | Alcatel | Flexible cable termination with swivel couplings |
5888083, | May 20 1997 | Brantner & Associates, Inc. | Miniature underwater connector |
6451398, | Nov 24 1998 | Double-sided self-adhesive reinforced foam tape | |
6783396, | Mar 27 2003 | Yazaki North America, Inc. | Airtight plug connector and terminal insert |
7614910, | May 23 2007 | DANA TM4 INC | Electrical connector |
8277245, | Sep 24 2010 | Raytheon Company | Methods and systems for forming discrete wire ribbon cables |
9120435, | May 23 2012 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Wire harness protector |
9136048, | Aug 25 2010 | Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd | Wire harness protector |
9147508, | Jul 04 2012 | Hitachi Metals, Ltd.; Hitachi Metals, Ltd | Wire holding device and wire harness |
9484126, | Jun 02 2011 | Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd; SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD | Covering material for electric wire, insulated electric wire, and wiring harness |
9664705, | Feb 19 2014 | Sensata Technologies, Inc. | Speed sensor |
20020004336, | |||
20020048994, | |||
20040229508, | |||
20100264800, | |||
20150078720, | |||
20150146444, | |||
20160149383, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Oct 03 2016 | Thermtrol Corporation | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Nov 17 2017 | KOMER, JOHN M | Thermtrol Corporation | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 044434 | /0424 |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Jan 29 2019 | BIG: Entity status set to Undiscounted (note the period is included in the code). |
Sep 08 2022 | M1551: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 4th Year, Large Entity. |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Mar 19 2022 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Sep 19 2022 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Mar 19 2023 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Mar 19 2025 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Mar 19 2026 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Sep 19 2026 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Mar 19 2027 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Mar 19 2029 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Mar 19 2030 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Sep 19 2030 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Mar 19 2031 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Mar 19 2033 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |